Wood accounts for 67% of global renewable energy supplies, and many countries in the global North are increasing their use of it both to reduce their reliance on costly fossil fuels and to mitigate climate change. Demand for wood outstrips supply by up to 600% as renewable energy targets become more ambitious. So investors are looking South where tropical climates allow for higher tree growth rates.

IIED acknowledges that new tree plantations in developing countries to be transformed into export wood could bring economic and social benefits to local people but they need to be managed well.

One of the risks of bad management is that these plantations can displace poor and marginalized communities from land they have tended for generations without any formal claim over, IIED said.

“All eyes are turned to food and biofuels, but tree plantations for biomass energy may soon become an important driver in the global land rush,” said Dr. Lorenzo Cotula, a senior researcher at IIED and co-author of the paper.

Besides the social and economic impacts that biomass demand can generate, its carbon neutrality has also been questioned by experts.

About Author

Walter’s contributions to CleanTechies over the past 4 years have been instrumental in growing the publications social media channels via his ongoing editorial and data driven strategies. He is the founder and managing director of Sunflower Tax, a renewable energy tax and finance consultancy based in San Diego, California. Active in the San Diego clean technology community, participating in events sponsored by CleanTech San Diego, EcoTopics, and Cleantech Open San Diego, Walter has also been a presenter at numerous California Center for Sustainability (CCSE) programs. He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego School of Law where he teaches a course on energy taxation and policy.